49ers sign Seahawks draft pick Harper

Harper caught four passes for 39 yards for the Hawks in the preseason. (Jordan Stead/seattlepi.com)

The San Francisco 49ers signed rookie wide receiver Chris Harper off the Seahawks scout team Monday, just hours before the Hawks were set to announce the eight-man squad for the start of the 2013 season. Harper, Seattle’s fourth-round pick in this year’s draft, had been in a battle for the final receiver spot on the Seahawks roster before his release on Saturday.

His move to the Bay Area is just the latest storyline in the red-hot rivalry between the two NFC West foes. Harper should help the Niners receiver depth, which has been depleted by injuries to veterans Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham.

Even with Percy Harvin’s training camp hip surgery — which will keep the prized offseason addition out until at least November — Harper couldn’t carve out a spot in Seattle’s wide receiver rotation. Second-year pro Jermaine Kearse and free-agent acquisition Stephen Williams both shone in preseason, cementing their place on the team at Harper’s expense.

The former Kansas State Wildcat had a quiet exhibition season, catching only one pass in each of the Hawks four preseason games. Perhaps his most notable moment came last Thursday, when he dropped a surefire 40-yard touchdown pass in Seattle’s final tune-up against the Raiders.

Selected No. 123 overall in April’s NFL Draft, Harper had the distinction of being one of the highest draft picks cut this offseason. He won’t have to wait long to return to Seattle, as the Niners travel to the Emerald City for a nationally televised Sunday night match-up with the Hawks on September 15.